Tekax Hosts Community Forum to Shape Yucatán’s AI Agenda

Authorities, teachers, students, agricultural producers, and residents came together in Tekax last week for the First Citizens’ Forum for Situational Diagnosis in Artificial Intelligence — an initiative led by the federal Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (Secihti, Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación) to identify pressing local challenges and build community-grounded technological solutions.

Organized in coordination with the Tekax municipal government, the gathering drew more than 100 participants from across the southern region of Yucatán, who worked in roundtable sessions addressing challenges in health, education, access to services, connectivity, data management, cybersecurity, and agricultural and commercial development.

Building Solutions From the Ground Up

Secihti director Mirna Manzanilla Romero said the goal is to develop technology-based solutions that arise directly from the needs that communities themselves identify.

“Yucatán’s development must be built from within communities — by listening to people and harnessing knowledge, science, and technology to generate well-being,” Manzanilla said.

Tekax mayor Hervé Manuel Vallejo Sansores welcomed the decision to hold the forum outside Mérida, noting the importance of incorporating citizens’ perspectives into AI strategies that respond to real regional needs rather than top-down priorities.

During the session, attendees identified priority challenges and explored how technological innovation, data management, and digital tools could improve local services, community processes, and productive activities. Judith Elena Ortega Canto, undersecretary of Technology and Innovation, delivered an introductory presentation on practical applications of artificial intelligence in education, health, and public services.

Manzanilla underscored that AI should be understood as a tool for improving quality of life — not as an end in itself.

“Technology only makes sense when it improves people’s lives, when it helps solve real problems and brings opportunities closer to those who need them most,” she said.

The forum produced a preliminary diagnostic of the region’s principal needs and established initial agreements to follow up on proposals from the roundtable sessions. Participants also committed to expanding collaboration among Secihti, the Red Ecos Yucatán network, municipal authorities, and residents.

The event is part of a broader state strategy that envisions participatory forums across different regions of Yucatán, with the aim of building an innovation and artificial intelligence agenda tailored to the specific needs of each territory.

Also in attendance were Mauricio Esquivel Canul of the Yucatán State Institute for Entrepreneurs (IYEM, Instituto Yucateco del Emprendedor y la Mujer), Carmen Díaz Novelo of the Red Ecos Yucatán, Javier Eduardo Villasuso Valdez of the Secretariat of Economy and Labor, and Aldo Lenin Romero Fernández of the Undersecretary of Information and Communications Technology, as well as additional members of the Red Ecos Yucatán network.

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